CONSERVATION EDUCATION
The Ding Darling Wildlife Society has announced that it will award $1,000 grants to five Lee County schools for conservation education-related projects. The schools may use the grant money to buy teaching aids, books, and other classroom materials. Or it could fund new classroom science projects, take field trips or conduct work projects in the community. The Wildlife Society was founded by local volunteers about a quarter century ago. It has become nationally known as the pioneer non-profit organization founded to help refuge managers support educational programs. It is really nice to see them reaching out to the community to educate the coming generation of conservationists. You can learn more about the society by going to their web site, www.dingdarlingsociety.org.

CLEANING UP
This years beach clean-up was a great success. More than 300 people turned out to clean our beaches and, in the process, they got to meet with a lot of nice people. The wonderful thing about it was the composition of those participating. Most of the participants were children and teenagers from various schools around Lee County. Now that is really nice!

 

KAYAK OUTINGS
The Conservation Foundation, in cooperation with the Captiva Kayak Company is offering kayak outings led by a naturalist. They will be in our local estuarine waters in and around Buck Key, a unique island in the Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve. In addition to enjoying the sense of adventure in a water journey the naturalist will discuss the natural and cultural history of the area. There is no kayaking experience necessary for these trips. The kayaks are very stable and easy to paddle. It sounds like fun and worthwhile.

SMALL TOWN GOINGS ON
We are approaching the busy time of the year on these islands and all the various folks that help you enjoy your stay here are gearing up for your arrival. 

• The Schoolhouse Theatre has a schedule of rockin' revues.

• Big Arts has a number of showings and performances planned.

• The Refuge, Conservation Foundation and C.R.O.W. have useful and enjoyable programs.

• The beaches, of course, are always beckoning, as are golf, boating, tennis et al.

• Restaurants are trying to outdo each other which means great meals for you.

Most of all, everyone here wants you to have a wonderful time and are working hard to assure it.

BEAUTY IN THE MAKING 
For those of you who have been saddened by the destructive impact Hurricane Charley had on the lovely entrance to the islands along Periwinkle Way the steps to restore your happiness are underway. The project includes the planting of over 3,000 trees along Periwinkle Way plus the planting of native plant gardens at strategic intersections. This will be completed next year and will include the three miles from Lindgren Boulevard to Tarpon Bay Road plus Palm Ridge Road and the half mile of Tarpon Bay Road that goes to the bay. Its one more example of the can do attitude of the folks on these islands. Its an exciting project.



A SERIOUS THOUGHT
I recently came across a comment made some time ago by John Clark, the author of the Sanibel Report. It bears repeating and makes us all proud of the culture of these islands. In all my consulting, I have never seen a community so united as Sanibel in its efforts to preserve key elements of nature as a central part of its planning and lawmaking. Sanibel is such an important model of doing it right that I hope for the sake of the City and other communities, that the land use program stays on a high level forever. This is such an important part of what we do, individually or governmentally. It effectively describes who we are and how we choose to live our lives. And the remarkable thing is how consistently its been practiced all these years. Impressive! And I say this in spite of the fireworks ordinance.

CAUSEWAY PROGRESS
The construction of the causeway is continuing apace. There was a lot of wrangling in putting the plan together, though it was good wrangling. The final product is a pretty good demonstration of how two diverse groups can get together to make something work. It was worked out and Span B is supposed to be ready for traffic by November of this year and Span C by June of next year. We'll see how the schedule plays out and hope that it works as planned. 

OUTDOOR DINING
If you like outdoor eating and gambling on the weather you can now arrange it. Open air dining has not been widely available on the islands because it did not meet the requirements of the land development code. No more! The planning commission has approved an amendment to the code that will allow about 30 Sanibel restaurants to be eligible for 16 or more outside seats. Good news. Now you can have that romantic dinner with your special one while sitting under the stars.

TREASURE HUNT
If you want to hunt for treasure we have the place for you. There are, apparently, treasure hunters starting to search for a Spanish treasure off Punta Rassa near the causeway. It is thought to be the booty from a treasure laden Spanish galleon that was captured by a Dutch ship named Entracht. The poor old Entracht ran aground and was abandoned near the present causeway. The captain and crew then boarded the Spanish galleon and sailed for home. The theory is that the treasure from the galleon was transferred to the Entracht and therefore is part of the wreckage. There is some support for the theory. There have been pottery pieces typical of the period found washed up on Punta Rassa. Good luck!

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